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Australia shares end higher on financials; NZ falls most in 3 months

[BENGALURU] Australian shares closed at a near two-year high on Thursday, as the drag in the telecom sector was offset by gains in financial and material stocks.

The S&P/ASX 200 index ended 0.1 per cent higher, or 7.23 points, at 5,816.3, its highest close since May 5, 2015. In the previous session, the benchmark finished up 0.9 per cent.

The financials index rose to its highest in over a month.

Stocks tracked Wall Street as the US market indexes pushed further into record-high territory on Wednesday, helped by upbeat retail sales data for January and ongoing optimism that President Donald Trump will cut corporate taxes.